1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an arrangement for operating a transport system with a magnetically levitated vehicle according to the preamble of the of the independent claim.
2. Related Art
Magnetic levitation or maglev technology permits non-contact and thus wear-free support of both rotating and linearly moving parts. One of the main goals of using maglev technology in the field of mass transport is to replace contact of the wheel with the track at high speeds, but in the field of conveyor technology, especially important properties include the absence of abrasion, the low noise levels and the reduced wear. Therefore, such a conveyor system is suitable for use in the environment around people, for applications with high hygienic demands, e.g., in the food industry and in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, and for use in clean rooms or in rooms where this is a risk of explosion. The ratio of the load conveyed to the empty weight of the vehicle is also of greater relevance in conveyor technology than in mass transport.
One important factor is the energy required for levitation of a vehicle.
Because of the high speeds in transporting people, this energy can be applied through the drive power. However, speeds of only a few meters per second used in conveyor technology are too low for this purpose. Therefore, the energy required for levitation must be made available on the vehicle itself.
European Patent No. 580,107 A1 describes a magnetically levitated transport system, where a maglev vehicle is advanced on the track by means of a linear motor. This system has the disadvantage that the arrangement takes up a large volume and is mechanically complicated.
The object of this invention is to provide an arrangement for operating a transport system with a magnetically levitated vehicle which permits a compact, space-saving and thus inexpensive design.
This object is achieved through the features of the independent claim. More extensive advantageous embodiments can be derived from the additional claims and the description.
This invention makes it possible to replace complex mechanical systems with non-contact systems for energy transfer and/or for transfer of driving forces as well as carrying forces and lateral traction for a magnetically levitated vehicle in particular. It permits integration of a mobile non-contact system.
The arrangement according to this invention for operating a transport system with a magnetically levitated vehicle has an integrated transmission system with a power transmission system for inductive transmission of electric power, a linear motor for transmitting a driving power and a maglev system for transmitting carrying forces and/or lateral traction. This arrangement has the advantage that similar conditions apply for individual components in the integrated transmission system for a dynamic response in driving operation, and similar conditions also apply with regard to mechanical air gaps with magnets and/or mechanical tolerances. The structural design is simple in an advantageous manner, and in particular, a modular design of an integrated transmission system is possible according to this invention. Other advantages include simple assembly of the component systems, the simplification achieved because there are no electric connections or connection systems, and also through the simplified maintenance effort in replacing any components.
In a preferred embodiment, the transmission system is arranged at outer corners of the mobile system of the maglev vehicle in particular. The advantage is the symmetrical arrangement of the transmission system, so that a magnetically levitated vehicle can be used in a flexible manner; in particular, comparable conditions apply for travel forward and in reverse. This simplifies the task of reversing the direction of travel of the maglev vehicle.
It is especially advantageous to provide a bogie to hold the transmission system. The integrated transmission system is preferably provided on two exterior sides of a bogie connected to a car body, where the bogie is preferably connected to the car body by a joint which can rotate about a vertical axis with respect to the direction of travel. An arrangement of one bogie in front of the car body and one bogie behind it in the direction of travel is especially advantageous. It is advantageous to arrange the transmission system on two end faces of the bogie which is connected to a car body of the maglev vehicle. An advantageous arrangement consists of providing a ball joint between the bogie and the car body. This makes it possible to achieve especially good turning radius in a vertical plane. This is advantageous for use of the transport system according to this invention for operation along routes with an ascending or descending gradient.
An advantageous refinement of the arrangement according to this invention provides for the mobile component system of the magnetically levitated system, in particular the maglev vehicle, to have two separate, individually controlled magnets in combination with the bogie with the ball joint. This permits an advantageous dynamic driving response in turning a curve in particular.
In another advantageous refinement of the arrangement according to this invention, the transmission system has transmission heads that are fixedly connected to the maglev vehicle and are designed in a U shape facing the outside of the maglev vehicle, with the legs of the U shape lying vertically one above the another and facing outward. It is especially advantageous if the U-shaped sections project into sections of parts of the stationary transmission system. This permits the use of passive shunts in driving operation of the transport system in an especially advantageous manner.
Another advantageous refinement of this invention consists of arranging active, controlled subsystems of the magnetically levitated system and the linear motor in or on the mobile maglev vehicle, preferably using electric power transmitted by power transmission systems and information processing by a control unit. The advantage is that individual driving operation of each mobile system is possible at any time at any location along the route. It is especially advantageous that independent operation of several mobile systems over the same route and/or the same route segment is possible.
Another advantageous embodiment according to this invention provides for the magnetic levitation system to have a controllable mechanical air gap. A means of control is preferably provided in the direction of the acting normal force, in particular in the y coordinate. The advantage of this measure is the greatly reduced wear plus the possibility of designing the mechanical supporting elements merely as a safety device and/or an auxiliary device for the mobile maglev vehicle.
It is especially advantageous that means provided for controlling a mechanical air gap of the magnetic levitation system are also used at the same time to control a mechanical air gap of a linear motor and/or power transmission system. This advantageous combination permits a non-contact transmission systems with a minimized air gap. As a result, the weight and dimensions of the individual transmission systems of the integrated transmission system can be reduced with essentially comparable performance data according to known solutions to this problem. Therefore, the transmittable power and/or driving force can be increased in an advantageous manner while keeping the same dimensions and weights.
In an especially advantageous refinement of the arrangement according to this invention, the linear motor is arranged on the maglev vehicle in such a way that the center of gravity of the linear motor and the center of gravity of the entire transmission system, in particular taking into account a load weight, are located in a plane (x-z plane) parallel to the direction of movement of the maglev vehicle. Thus, the influence of interference moments in acceleration and deceleration of the maglev vehicle is advantageously minimized due to a minimized lever arm in combination with the effect of the driving force.
An especially advantageous arrangement of the magnetic levitation system on the mobile system and in the integrated transmission system is designed so that the air gap plane (y coordinate) of the magnetic levitation system is located above the center of gravity of the complete mobile system of the transmission system, taking into account a typical load weight. This avoids in an advantageous manner the behavior of an upright pendulum with a labile equilibrium for the transport system.
It is advantageous to arrange the magnetic levitation system, the linear motor and the power transmission system vertically one above the other. This yields essentially an optimum arrangement with minimized interference moments due to the driving force while avoiding an unwanted pendulum behavior with a labile equilibrium and/or achieves a minimum structural height of the arrangement. It is especially advantageous if, in addition, the transmission heads are arranged compactly without any mechanical distance. This avoids the large structural height of the arrangement which would otherwise be necessary.
Another advantageous refinement according to this invention provides for the power transmission system, the magnetic levitation system and the linear motor to be arranged vertically one above the other and stationary parts of the power transmission system and magnetic levitation system on the one hand and the transmission heads of the magnetic levitation system and the linear motor to be arranged directly side by side on the other hand. The advantage of this is that an advantageous low structural height can again be achieved.
The magnetic levitation system has a magnet with a magnetic yoke, where both the magnet and the magnetic yoke have a U-shaped cross section, with the legs of the U-shaped sections facing one another. The advantage of this arrangement is that it yields effective lateral traction, which is achieved due to the shaping. This stabilizes the mobile system.
Another advantageous embodiment consists of the fact that the integrated transmission system has a mechanical guidance system which is provided to control the direction in a passive shunt in the traffic lane of the transport system. Lateral tracking is preferably provided in the form of a pair of rollers of the mechanical guidance system, with the pair of rollers engaging in the groove formed by the U-shaped magnetic yoke of the magnetic levitation system. The pair of rollers is preferably located on the bogie of the mobile maglev vehicle and can be arranged in pairs either in front of or behind the mounting position of the transmission heads (z coordinate), or one roller of a pair may be mounted in front of the mounting position of the transmission heads and the other roller mounted behind it.
In another advantageous embodiment, magnets of the magnetic levitation system are arranged in pairs opposite one another, with a mobile part of a transmission head mounted on the maglev vehicle preferably extending over a stationary part of the power transmitter.
It is advantageous to provide means to permit regulation of the air gap of the magnetic levitation system at a variable air gap size, so that normal forces of the linear motor are taken into account in this regulation as support for the levitation. This is advantageously made possible by the two-sided design of the magnetic levitation system, because it is possible to adjust the forces in a positive direction and in a negative direction (y coordinate). Thus, in particular it is possible to minimize losses and thus also minimize the power demand of the system.
An advantageous design of the magnetic levitation system is such that means are provided to permit flux guidance of the magnetic flux running perpendicular to the direction of travel of the maglev vehicle. This permits an advantageous reduction in eddy current losses and an increase in advantageous lateral traction.